Guide
Docked vs Handheld Mode in Lichii: Which Runs Better on Android
Docked mode reports 1080p to games and costs power; handheld mode is the tested Android default. What each mode changes, and when to switch.
Contents On this page
What the modes mean
The two modes borrow the console own vocabulary. Handheld mode tells games they are running on the portable screen profile; docked mode tells them a television is attached, and on Android docked mode reports a 1080p maximum output to games that ask. Games respond to that answer with heavier rendering targets and, sometimes, different effects. Begin with the build listed on lichii emulator so your results match ours.
On the console, docked also means wall power and active cooling. On a phone it means neither, which is why the same word carries a different cost here. The mode is a promise your hardware has to keep.
The performance truth
The Android port recommends handheld mode for testers, and this site baseline agrees. Handheld keeps rendering budgets in phone territory, which pairs with 0.5x resolution to hold frame rates in the flagship games. Docked mode at full output is the configuration most likely to meet the memory ceiling and the thermal ceiling in the same session.
That said, docked has a real use: on a strong phone, at moderated resolution, with a controller paired and the phone on a stand or a big screen, it is the living room configuration. Treat it as a per game upgrade you earn after the handheld baseline is stable, not as a default. The controller setup page completes that living room picture.
Choosing per game
Because Lichii keeps settings per game, the mode question is per game too. A cozy life sim that idles at its frame cap in handheld gains nothing from docked. A racer whose presentation setting already strains at 0.5x should never be asked for docked output. A game with a soft image you play on a monitor is the candidate.
Change mode alone, play the same scene, and compare honestly, ideally with the frame counter visible. If the gain is invisible and the phone is warmer, the experiment has answered itself. The best settings page shows where mode sits in the full tuning order.
Related reading: the controller setup page.
Related reading: the best settings page.
Quick Answers
Is docked mode always prettier?
It can raise output resolution for games that scale with it, but at a real performance and heat cost on a phone. On a small screen the difference is often invisible.
Why does the project recommend handheld on Android?
Because it matches phone power and cooling budgets, and it is the configuration the port is tested in. It is the stable starting point for every game.
Can I mix modes between games?
Yes. Settings are per game, so a light title can run docked while a heavy one stays handheld, each with its own profile.